GAMBO

Gambo: Plain and simple the Suns are better

May 6, 2010, 9:24 PM | Updated: Jan 14, 2011, 4:21 pm

Are you shocked the Phoenix Suns are up 2-0 on the San Antonio Spurs?

You shouldn’t be.

Plain and simple the Suns are a better team than San Antonio this time around.

This is what was supposed to happen.

Is the series over?

Not necessarily but it is going to take a collapse by Phoenix to not win this series.

What the Suns did was more than protect home court, what they did was put the Spurs in a hole they shouldn’t be able to climb out of.

While it is possible for San Antonio to win four of the next five it is highly unlikely.

Phoenix is beating the Spurs up on the boards, out hustling them, shooting the three pointer better, getting the crucial stops. San Antonio doesn’t have the answers. Steve Nash kills them in Game 1, the Suns bench gets them in Game 2.

Manu Ginobli scores 27 in Game 1 the Suns and Grant Hill shut him down in Game 2, holding him to 11 points. The Suns have a bench the Spurs don’t. Matt Bonner has two points in two games and hasn’t hit a three-pointer yet (0-4).

The Spurs held Phoenix to 42% shooting, had more fast-break points in Game 2 (13-8) and had more blocked shots (8-1).

And it didn’t matter.

The Suns are the team of intangibles – hustling all over the court to keep balls alive, save balls from going out of bounds, forcing jump balls. The Suns are the team that won’t be outworked and that has been the difference so far in this series. These Suns also have great balance, they can score inside and outside, they can defend the perimeter and the paint and when Robin Lopez returns they can go big or small. Those combinations make them an extremely difficult matchup.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Gambo

Phoenix Suns' Markieff Morris, left, drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love during the third q...

John Gambadoro

Markieff Morris situation is going to get real ugly for Phoenix Suns

Markieff is not calling back teammates and plans to be very standoffish when he reports to camp.

9 years ago

Arizona Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt, left, greets David Peralta as the two score on a sing...

John Gambadoro

D-backs should stand pat at the trade deadline

With the MLB trade deadline coming up on Friday to me it’s not so much about what the Diamondbacks need to do, but it’s about what not to do.

9 years ago

Follow @Gambo987...

John Gambadoro

Get rid of Markieff Morris? Phoenix Suns shouldn’t go there yet

Look, I get it. You don't like Markieff Morris. You want him gone ASAP. I understand where you are coming from. I do.

9 years ago

Follow @Gambo987...

John Gambadoro

Can Arizona State do better than Herb Sendek?

I do not blame Arizona State for wanting to do better. I question whether they can.

9 years ago

Follow @Gambo987...

John Gambadoro

If you love something, set it free

It will be hard to watch, but Shane Doan needs to finish his career elsewhere, with a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

9 years ago

Follow @Gambo987...

John Gambadoro

Bagging on the fans is a no-win situation

Bagging on the fans is a no-win situation. It's a fight you can't win.

9 years ago

Gambo: Plain and simple the Suns are better